Boat storage system and apparatus



Apr 25, 1944. i J. s. @RANDALL 2,347,395

BOAT VSTORAGE SYSTEM AND APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 51, 1941 April 25, 1944,

J. s. cRANDA| BOAT STORAGE SYSTEM AND APPARATUS Filed May 31, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 APTil 25, 1944. x. s. CRANDALL BOAT STORAGE SYSTEM AND APPARATUS Filed May 51, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 48` 36 38 Irzverzor. imm/r maar lf-,T

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Patented Apr. 25, 1944 BOAT STORAGE SYSTEM AND APPARATUS James Stuart Crandall, Lexington, Mass., assignor to Crandall Dry Dock Engineers Inc., Camridge, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 31, 1941, Serial No. 395,959

Col. rs1- 67) 12 Claims.

This invention relates to boat storage systems and apparatus, particularly as associated with a marine railway.

It is common practice to haul small 4boats and yachts out of the water and store them on land during the winter months or other periods of non-use. Boats of such size as to reduire the use of a marine railway are -usually raised from the water on a wheeled cradle carried -by the railway carriage, and moved from the carriage onto storage tracks, the storage tracks being usually in parallel lines for the economical storage of a considerable number of boats, `the long dimension of the boat being disposed lengthwise of the track.

In locations where the storage tracks can be located at one end of and parallel with the tracks of the 4marine railway, or parallel with the long dimension of the boat and its wheeled cradle on the railway, the transfer of the boat from the railway carriage to one of the storage tracks presents no particular difficulty. When, however, the collection of storage tracks have to Abe positioned other than in parallel relation with the long dimension of the boat on the marine railway as, for instance, at right angles thereto, the transfer of the boat from the railway to a storage track presents some diiculty inasmuch as the position of the boat has to be shifted angularly from its position on the marine railway to a position in line with a storage track. While it is possible to shift the boat from the railway onto a turntable and by rotating the turntable to deliver the lboat to a storage track radial with respect to the turntable, the use of radial tracks does not permit the available land to be occupied by -as many storage tracks as can be located when the tracks are parallel with each other. Thus, the present invention contemplates a yacht or boat storage system for receiving boats from a marine railway and for depositing the boats on and lengthwise of a plurality of parallel storage tracks that are angularly related to the line of the marine railway or to the position of the boat on the railway carriage.

A further object of the invention consists in moving the boat off the railway carriage and then in swinging the boat angularly from its position on the carriage to a position where the length of the boat is aligned with the length of the 'Stor-- age tracks and then in moving the boatbodily while preserving its second position to align it with a selected set of tracks and then moving the boat onto and along the tracks into a storage position. A yet further object of the invention is an apparatus for eiecting such result.

In carrying out the invention, I provide a swinging transfer car which can be swung about a pivot from af position to receive the boat from the marine railway, the carriage being capable of swinging into another position where the carriage is aligned with the parallel storage tracks and in moving the carriage while maintaining it in its 'second position into register with a selected set of tracks and moving the boat from the carriage to the selected storage track. Such apparatus and the method involved constitute further objects of the invention.

vAnother object of the invention consists in the provision of a storage system comprising a plurality of parallel storage tracks with transfer tracks confronting the ends of the storage tracks, the transfer tracks being straight where they confront the `storage tracks and having arcuate end portions, there being a transfer car which is disposed crosswise of the transfer tracks and is movable loodily over both vthe 'arcuate and the straight away sections of the tracks, the line of movement of 'a boat from the marine railway to the transfer car being radial withY the arcuate section fof the tracks and the car on the arcuate section turning about the common 'center of the arcuate section of the track.

A vyet further object of the invention is to cause the transfer car to swing around the arcuate section by having a section of one of the transfer tracks pivot labout the center of the arcuate section so that the pivoted track 'section swings into 'and out of alignment with the straight section and the car having a combination of swivel and non-swivel wheels which holds the car on the arcuate section.

A further vobject'is 'generallyto improve upon boat storage systems and methods.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a boat storage system embodying the present` invention.

`Fig. 2 is asectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 isaJ diagrammatic perspective view of the .storage system of Fig, 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the transfer car.

Fig. 5 isa sectional detail taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4 and illustrati-ng particularly the en d kconstruction of a wheel supporting beam a the pivot end of the carriage.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the pivot end of the longitudinal beam of the carriage showing the construction at the left of the section line 5-5 of Fig. It.

Fig. 7 is a section taken along line 1-1 of Fig. 4 and illustrating particularly the construction of one of the wheel supporting cross beams.

Fig. 8 is a section taken along line 8--8 of Fig. 4 and illustrating particularly the construction of a lighter intermediate cross beam.

Fig. 9 is an elevation of the pivot end of the transfer can' and illustrating particularly the pivoted track section.

Fig. 10 is a plan detail of the spivot end of the transfer car.

Fig. l1 is a section taken along line VI I-H of Fig. 4 and illustrating particularly the arrangement of swivel and non-swivel supporting wheels for the carriage beyond the -pivot section.

Fig. 12 is a section taken along line l2`l2 of Fig. 11 and illustrating particularly the construction of a cross beam at the wheel swivelling point.

Fig. 13 is a plan detail of a swivel wheel.

Fig. 14 is asection taken along line |4-I4 of Fig. 11.

The boat storage system embodying the present invention is associated with the marine railway having the inclined track I6 which may consist of two or more rails extending from the shore into the body of water I8. A wheeled carriage travels on the track I6 and is moved upwardly on the track by any suitable mechanism. -The carriage, lengthwise thereof, has a track 22 that is engaged by the wheels 24 of a cradle 25 adapted to receive the boat or yacht 28. It will be understood that the carriage with the -cradle thereon is submerged and the boat is floated into position on the cradle and anchored` theretoand then the carriage is .elevated on its tracks to raise the boat above thewater. It is most commonto have the length of the boat disposed lengthwise of the carriage and thus parallel with the track HiA and such construction is herein illustrated.

vThe boat with its cradle is adaptedto be moved off the railway carriage and onto any selected one of the sets of parallel storage tracks and 32 and disposed lengthwise of these tracks, the tracks being angularly related to the line of the railway tracks I6 and the line of the boat on the railway. For this purpose, the boat with its cradle is moved from the railway carriage 28 onto tracks 34, when said tracks arenec'essary, and which are in register with the tracks 22- of the railway carriage when the carriage is inits uppermost position. The tracks 34 guide the boat ontok aligned tracks 36 of a swinging transfer car 38. The rails 36 are arranged lengthwise of the transfer car and the transfer carat the time of receiving the boat is positioned with its lengthnlying lengthwise of the boat.

The transfer car is vmovable on a plurality of rails or tracks which have straight sections 48 located between the sets of storage tracks 38 and 32 and arcuate sections 42V located at the end of the storage area and between the storagetracks and the marine railway. The transfer car is capable of swinging about a pivot 44, which pivot preferably is in the line of the straight-away track secv tion nearest the storage-sections 32, about the arcuate portions 42 of the track and from the boat receiving full line position illustrated in Fig. 1 to the dotted line position of this figure and thence is movable bodily in parallel lines along the straight-away sections 40 to register with any selected one of the storagetracks 38 or 32. When yso registered, the boat on its cradle is moved off the transfer car and onto and lengthwise of a storage track into some position thl'Qn as illustrated by the dotted lines indicated at 46. Each storage track may contain a plurality of boats on cradles disposed end to end, depending upon the length of the boat and the length of each storage section.

The construction of the transfer car is illustrated more particularly in Figs. 4 through 14. The car comprises essentially a frame including a pair of laterally spaced horizontally disposed side or longitudinal beams or girders 48, each girder having a track or rail 36 thereon. The longitudinal beams are connected by a number of pairs of relatively closely spaced cross beams 50 in the form of channel sections which support the wheelsv of the carriage. A similar pair of closely spaced cross beams 52 is located at the left hand or pivot end of the car, but instead of being terminated at the horizontal beams, as is the case with the cross beams 58, the beams 52 project laterally beyond the longitudinal beams, the ends of the longitudinal beams being cut away on the under sides, as illustratedin Fig. 6, to accommodate the cross beams 52. Lighter cross struts 54 connect the longitudinal beams between the cross beams 50 in combination with angle members 56.

The cross-beams52 are provided with three equally spaced double-flanged supporting wheels 58 which run on the transfer track sections 40 and 42. The wheels are journalled on axles 60 suitably secured to the under side of the beams 52 by U-bolts 62. Since the cross beams 52 have three Wheels, in order to divide the load equallyy K between the wheels the cross beamsare made in two sections separated by a short space 64' located above the middle wheel, see Fig. 9, con.

nectedviiexibly by means including bolts 66, one section carrying two wheels and the other section carrying but one wheel and bearing on the two wheel section over the middle wheel. With this arrangement, flexibility and substantially equal pressure contact of all three Wheels on thev track is secured.

The transfer car is adapted to pivot about that end thereof having rthe three non-swivel wheels 58. For this purpose, a section of the transfer track is pivotally supported. As illustrated in Fig. 9, the forward section of the straight-away portion 40 of the rail nearest the storage tracks tion. The ends of the pivoted rail 68 can slide upon arcuate supporting shoes 1U. Thus, as the transfer car is caused to pass over the arcuate sections 42 of the transfer tracks, thev rail 68 is caused to turn about the pivot 44 and since the rail is straight and the wheels 58 are non-swivel- 0 ling, there is no tendency for the car to move-off the rail 68.

Back `from the pivoted end of the car, the car is supported by a combination of swivel and non-swivel wheels, as illustrated most particularly in Figs. 4 and 11. The heavy cross beams 58 are divided by slots 12 and flexibly connected by bolts 14 to provide equal wheel con-tact `and' pressure as describedI in connection with the' beams 52. Each set of beams 50 in the middle thereof has a non-swivel wheel 'I6 journalled on a shaft 18 fixed to the under side of the beam.

Each pair of beams is also provided with outerswivel wheels journalled on shafts 82 extending crosswise of and through arms 84 of a wheel supporting truck 86, which passes under the assodeposit a boat. thereon onto elated longitudinal `beam 48'- and is -pivoted `or swiveled to a bolt 88 disposedbetween andflxed to a pair of cross beams 58. Bearing pads yor plates 90 are Xed to the lower faces of the 'beams 48 and are adaptedto be engaged'by the flat top faces 92 of the trucks lto provide relatively smooth ways on which the trucks can slide and support the load on the beam. y With the arrangement described, the transfer car can travel over boththe arcuate sections 42 and the straight-away sections 4i] to the transfer tracks. When the car is'travelling over the arcuate sections, the swivel wheels lie in the'curves of the tracks and the pivoted track section B8 is at an angle with respect to the straight-away section 4B. When the car has been moved into the dotted line position of Fig. 1 and is at right 'angles with the parallel straight sections 48 of the transfer track, the pivoted rail d8 is in alignment with the transfer rail that is closest to the storage 'tracks 32. The transfer car is thus in position to be moved bodily along 'the straightawaysection of the transfer track into position to any selected storage track section.

I claim:

l. A boat storage system comprising a plurality of parallel storage tracks, a transfer car adapted to receive a boat thereon and to carry it to a said track, means including a pivotal mount-l for supporting said car for swinging movement into a predetermined position with respect to said tracks and means providing for sidewise translatory movement of the car into alignment with a track while maintaining said predetermined position.

2. A boat storage system comprising a marine railway having means thereon supporting a boat lengthwise of the railway, a plurality of parallel storage tracks angularly related to said railway and at one end thereof adapted to receive a boat the length of which is in the line of the track, a transfer car adapted to receive a boat from the railway, and means for supporting said car for swinging movement from a boat-receiving position into a position where it is parallel with said storage tracks and means providing for sidewise translatory movement of the car into alignment with a track while maintaining said parallel relation.

3. A boat storage system comprising a marine railway having means thereon supporting a boat lengthwise of the railway, a plurality of storage tracks located beyond the end of and angularly disposed with respect to the marine railway each adapted to receive a boat the length of which is in the line of the tracks, transfer tracks at the ends of and at right angles with the storage tracks having straight sections and arcuate end sections located at the end of the marine railway, and a transfer car on and crosswise of said transfer tracks adapted to receive a boat from the marine railway and deliver it to a said storage track, means providing for movement of the boat and said car along said arcuate end sections and thence rectilinearly along said straight sections of said transfer tracks thereby to bring the boat first into parallelism with the storage tracks and then into alignment with a selected storage track.

4. A boat storage system comprising a marine railway having means thereon supporting a boat lengthwise of the railway, a plurality of parallel storage tracks located beyond the end of and angularly disposed with respect to the marine railway each adapted to receive a boat the length of which is in the line of the tracks, transfer rails having straight portions confronting the ends of and at right angles to the storage'tra'cks and having arcuate portions at one side .of the storage tracks and at the end ,of the marine railway, a transfer car on and-crosswise of said .transfer rails and capable 'of movement along both the straight andthe arcuate `portions, thereof, and means providing for movement of the boat and. said car along the arcuate portions of lsaid rails .to swing the boat .into parallelism-with the storage tracks and along the straight portions of the rails 1to bring the boat into alignment with a selected storage track.

`5. A boat storage system `comprising a storage track, transfer rails having straight sections disposed crosswise of said trackand arcuate end sections at one side 0f said track, one of said rails having a separate straight extension which 4is pivotally mounted concentric with the center of the arcuate sections, and a transfer car von said rails having wheelsthatengage said pivoted track rail section and cause it to pivot, and 'swivel wheels which engage the;arcuate sections of said rails, said car being capable of turning about said pivot on the Varcuate sections of said rails and moving in parallel ,lines on the straight sections.

6. A boat storage system comprising -a boat storage track, a' plurality of transfer rails lhaving straight sections confronting the storage track and arcuate end sections and another transfer rail having a straight section parallel with the aforesaid straight sections and a separate end section in the arcuate area of said arcuate sections and having a pivotal support concentric with said arcuate sections, and a transfer car on said rails having wheels engaging said pivoted section and said other transfer rail and swivel wheels engaging said arcuate sections and capable of turning about said pivot and passing over said arcuate sections onto the straight sections and moving in parallel lines on said straight sections.

'7. In a boat storage system, a straight track section comprising two parallel rails, a pivoted straight rail section swingable into registering alignment with one of said parallel rails for constituting an extension thereof, an arcuate rail section constituting a continuationv of the other said parallel rail and having its center of curvature at the pivotal axis of the pivoted rail section, a swinging transfer car having sets of supporting wheels disposed generally in lines crosswise of the car, the car at one end thereof having a set of wheels having relatively fixed parallel axes for engaging said pivoted straight rail section, and at another location along the car having a set of swivel wheels for engaging said arcuate track section, all of said wheels having flanges restraining the wheels against movement transversely of the rail sections.

8. In a boat storage system, a swinging transfer car having a plurality of sets of supporting wheels, the wheels of each set being disposed generally in line crosswise of the car, at least one set of Wheels being comprised of outer Wheels that have a swivel connection with the car and a middle wheel that has a relatively axially-fixed connection with the car, and the set of wheels at one end of the car being comprised of three wheels having relatively xed parallel axes arranged in line crosswise of the car.

9. A swinging transfer car as defined in claim 8, there being cross beams which carry the sets of wheels, the cross beams being sectional and yieldingly interconnected `Aat points above 'the middlewheel. I H

10; In a boat storage system, the combination o'f a transfer car adapted toreceive a boat thereon, tracks for supporting said car including a pivoted section in which the car is swingable, and means providing for movement of -said car off said pivoted section of tracks and-thence in parallel lines away from its region of s pivotal movement, said means comprising a transfer track confronting the line of parallel movement of the car, and a marine railway confronting the car at its region of pivotal movement.

1l. In a boat raising and storage system wherein a boat is raised from. and lowered into the water by a marine railway and when out lof water is stowed on any one of a series of storage tracks and is moved between the railway and the storage tracks. by being carried by a car, the method of transporting the boat between the railway and a storage track which consists in moving the boat from the railway onto the car with the length of the boat in line with the rail- Way, swinging the car with the boat thereon to move the boat between a position where its length is in line with the railway toa position where the length of the boat is lengthwise of the length of a storage track, and transporting the car bodily with the boat thereon while maintaining the position of the car and boatwith the lengtl1 of the boat lengthwise of a storage track linto a position aligned with a storage Vtrack and where the boat can be moved off the car onto the track. 12. In a boat storage system, astraight track section comprising two parallel rails, a pivoted straight rail section swingable into registering alignment with one of said parallel rails for constituting an extension thereof, an arcuate rail section constituting a continuation of the` other said parallel rail and having its center of curvature at the pivotal axis of the pivoted rail section, a swinging transfer car, the car havingaplurality of sets of supporting wheels, the wheels of each set being disposed generally in line crosswise of the car, the set of wheels at one end of the car being comprised of at least two wheels having relatively xed parallel axes for engaging said pivoted straight track section, and another set of wheels being comprised of at least two wheels at least the two outermost ones of which have a swivel connection with the car for engaging said arcuate rail section, at least one of said wheels for engaging the pivoted straight track section and at least one of said wheels with swivel connection to the car having iianges restraining their lateral movement on the track sections.

J. STUART CRANDALL. 

